


The Ups and Downs of Dadhood

by rebelmeg



Series: Rebelmeg's Tony Stark Bingo Fills 2019 [16]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Iron Family, Pepperony - Freeform, dad tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 05:23:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17739818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelmeg/pseuds/rebelmeg
Summary: Tony has absolutely got this dad thing handled.  One way or another.For the TSB, square filled: T5 - bathing/showering together





	The Ups and Downs of Dadhood

**Author's Note:**

> *Flings Iron Dad fluff at you and vanishes into the void*
> 
> Many thanks to my lovely beta, [nomdeplumeria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nomdeplumeria)!

Tony had absolutely expected it to be a challenge to take on full-time parenting responsibilities when Pepper’s three month maternity leave was up and she went back to work at SI during the days. He had expected it to be hard, and exhausting, and full of unexpected problems and pitfalls.

He was right, as he so often was. Parenting was not for the weak, that was for sure, and being the only parent on the premises was especially hard. But he was going to grab this Dad thing by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. Anything less was unacceptable.

So he got up in the middle of the night without complaint, bringing Morgan to Pepper for her to nurse, then taking the baby back to her crib, changing her diaper and settling her back to sleep. And doing it all over again a few hours later.

He wiggled those tiny little baby clothes onto her squirmy little body, being careful of fingers and toes and not pinching her soft skin or forgetting to support her head.

He measured out the breast milk Pepper had been pumping in preparation for her going back to work, he heated it meticulously in the little bottle warmer, checking the temperature against his wrist and making sure he had two burp cloths on hand before he settled down on the couch to feed Morgan.

He only sighed a little bit when she spit up on his shirt, and he was constantly picking up some kind of baby paraphernalia or another, usually a wayward sock that refused to stay on Morgan’s tiny feet.

He changed diapers with just a small grimace, and remained proud of the garbage system he’d built that sent all the waste in their wing of the Compound directly to the dumpsters outside. 

He babbled and cooed and talked to Morgan like she was an adult, he recited nursery rhymes from his own childhood that he’d been re-memorizing in a singsong voice, he read and held up little fat board books for her to see, he strictly observed tummy time on a blanket on the floor even though she protested quite vocally, he rocked her to sleep in his arms and settled her in her crib with her sleep sack tucked around her so she wouldn’t be cold. 

In all honesty, he was loving it. He was loving being a dad, and he was good at it, something that continued to awe him.

The only thing Tony really, really wasn’t handling well, was the fact that it was almost 5 p.m. and he hadn’t had a chance to shower at all yet that day.

He had tried after he’d settled Morgan down for her first morning nap, but she had fussed for longer than usual, and by the time she finally fell asleep he’d needed to get working on a few projects, as he was still doing some part-time work for SI. She fell asleep just fine for her afternoon nap, and Tony had been in the bathroom and taking off his shirt when she’d started to cry, announcing that her diaper needed changing again.

He had even been tempted to have FRIDAY keep an eye on her for five minutes while he threw himself through a speed-of-light shower, but he couldn’t seem to do it. Maybe later on, once they were all more settled into their routine that was something he’d feel comfortable doing. But not quite yet.

And now it was nearing dinnertime, and his last hope for a shower before Pepper came home and had to save him was vanishing before his eyes, because as he’d sneaked into the bedroom suite on his way to the shower, he’d made the mistake of looking in the crib to make sure Morgan was still asleep.

She was decidedly not.

As he looked down into his daughter’s face, and those wide open eyes, Tony felt a moment of utter desperation.

He was wearing the same underwear from yesterday, and the pajama pants he’d been worn to bed last night. His socks were wet from some kind of unknown liquid, and his shirt had been spit up on at least four times already. His hair was feeling greasy, and he certainly wasn’t going to do an odor check on himself.

Glancing back and forth from those big, unblinking blue eyes and the temptation of the gleaming shower tiles, Tony finally made a decision.

“FRIDAY, fill the tub. I am getting clean today one way or another. Baby safe temperature, please, and I require bubbles.”

* * *

Pepper walked through the door and sighed with relief, so very glad to be home. Part of her had missed being at work while she was on maternity leave, doing all the things that she was good at and proving her worth in the world of business. But she had also very much missed being home.

Her shoes, purse, and jacket were dumped in the living room by the couch, then she went off in search of her family. The lights on in the bathroom of their suite gave her a clue, and she was headed that way when she paused as she tried to decipher what she was hearing. A moment later she grinned and had to stifle a giggle when she figured out what it was. 

_“Rubber ducky, you’re the one. You make bath time lots of fun.”_

Tony’s voice was low as he sang, and Pepper had a suspicion as to what she’d find before she even saw him as she crossed the room.

_“Rubber ducky, I’m awfully fond of you.”_

It was even cuter than she’d imagined. Rather than Tony giving Morgan a bath, he was right in there in the huge tub with her, a pile of foamy bubbles on top of his head. Morgan was braced up on his knees, her legs tucked up against his chest, and he had one hand on her and one hand bobbing a little yellow rubber duck in front of her as he sang.

Leaning against the doorway, Pepper folded her arms and beamed at the two loves of her life. “You two look like you’re having fun.” 

Tony smiled up at her, then waved Morgan’s little fist in her direction. “Hey Mama! How was work?”

“Not terrible. Wish I could have been here though. Not even three months of maternity leave is long enough.”

“I’ll agree with that. We missed you.” He tipped his face up for a kiss, and Pepper sighed into it.

“I missed you too. I felt like a dairy cow, pumping for her in my office.”

“Morgan, I hope you appreciate the stuff your mama puts up with for you.” Tony cooed down at their daughter, scooping up a handful of bubbles and depositing them on top of her head. 

Pepper smiled and added another scoop of bubbles to the soapy pile. “Did she give you a hard time today.”

“Not bad. Just figuring out this whole stay-at-home dad thing. She kept waking up every time I entertained thoughts of a shower, so here we are. You wanna join us?” Her husband asked, grinning up at her with those bubbles still on his head, and giving Morgan a gentle bounce with his knee. “The water’s just fine.”

There was nowhere else she’d rather be. “You know what, that sounds perfect.”

* * *

All three of them were pruny by the time they finally got out of the tub, the water never getting cold thanks to the heating system Tony had rigged up into the sides and floor. Morgan had nursed while they were still in the tub, and only fussed minimally while her towel-wrapped parents tag-teamed the diaper and pajama routine and got her settled into her crib to sleep.

It was slightly chilly, what with the wet hair and water still dripping down their legs, but Tony and Pepper wrapped their arms around each other’s waists and just watched their daughter sleep for a few minutes, soaking in the moment.

“I had FRIDAY order dinner. Chinese from that place we really like with the good eggrolls. It should be here any minute.” Tony said quietly, watching Morgan’s little chest rise and fall with her breaths.

“Okay,” Pepper replied, letting her head rest on his shoulder, feeling the little shiver as her wet hair touched his skin. “That sounds good. I’m starving.”

And yet they didn’t move. Not yet.

It was too good a moment to rush.


End file.
